Quick Change Volume 1: Slyborn

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Quick Change Volume 1: Slyborn Page 5

by C. T. O'Leary


  Seth nodded his head yes to Glenda but stayed silent as she continued, “Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret, that pond is my favorite place to harvest dungweed. It stinks something fierce until you boil it, but afterwards it can be spun into such a soft material. I haven’t made it out there in a while with these old bones. Go and fetch me some, make it thirty full plants, and I’ll give you two full sets of clothing. What do you say?” The sly look never left her face, and even though Seth assumed he’d smell like dungweed for the next week, he really needed new clothes if he were to make a good impression on the adventurer.

  Glenda Tailor of Bosqovar has offered you a quest! Collect 30 dungweed plants to receive the following: - 2 sets of clothing in your size.

  - 220 experience Accept? Decline?

  Seth sighed and just nodded his head again before grabbing the small cast-iron pot she’d held out to him, spinning on his heel, and heading for the southern entrance to the village. As he trudged away, Glenda hollered, “Make sure you boil it! Wouldn’t want to drag that stink into town!” The crone cackled when Seth didn’t acknowledge her.

  As Seth exited the collection of buildings, the guard called out to him. Seth turned, and the man held a little metal contraption in his hand. He tossed it to Seth and said, “Glenda cons a lot of newcomers to handle that job for her. You’ll want this.”

  A notification appeared in Seth’s log.

  Bosqovar town guard Enrique gives you 1x Flint & Steel Fire Starter

  “Thanks,” Seth mumbled, feeling more tricked by the second as he walked south.

  ***

  Dungweed, Seth wasn’t surprised to learn, smelled terrible. It took him several laps around the pond to realize that the smell was actually coming from the water itself, not any of the thin grass around the perimeter. Seth eventually mustered the nerve to stick his hand into the putrid water and pull out one of the plants that lurked just under the surface.

  The plant had the consistency of seaweed, but he wasn’t focused on that because as soon as it broke the surface of the water the smell practically exploded into his nostrils. Seth gagged to the side and tried not to lose his breakfast as he dropped the clammy plant in a pile, and then retreated a few feet away, fingers pinching his nose closed, eyes leaking.

  At this point, Seth understood why Glenda was going to part with a few pieces of clothing in exchange for someone else gathering these weeds for her. He spent the next fifteen minutes alternating between stepping away from the putrid stench to gather himself and hustling to collect as many weeds as he could. When he finally hit thirty, he piled some loose brush and lit it with the flint and steel the guard had given him, scooped some of the filthy water into Glenda’s pot, and set it over the flames.

  Before long he’d boiled all thirty pieces and the smell no longer permeated the area as thoroughly, though he noted that there was still a faint stink on his clothing. Seth mumbled, “Oh well, won’t be keeping these much longer.”

  Seth dumped the hot water back into the pond, stacked the boiled plants in the pot, kicked dirt over the coals of the small fire, and headed back for Bosqovar. He was nearly halfway back to town when another massive beetle picked a fight with him, but Seth had learned from the previous fight.

  When it first lurched at him, Seth repeated his swing to its head like he had with the first beetle but, this time, he immediately took a big step back and totally dodged its follow up slash. The beetle stumbled, having committed too much weight to the slash, and Seth struck its head again, dropping its health to half. With the second strike landing, Seth’s fury meter made it to ten percent full, and he triggered his Deliberate Strike ability once more, before finishing off the insect with one more deep gouge across the belly.

  Seth felt a little better about himself as Bosqovar came back into view, but that feeling flipped to worry as he spotted a woman one hundred yards up the road, walking towards Bosqovar unhurriedly. Another of the giant beetles strode right towards her turned back, grotesque mandibles flexing.

  The beetle was upon the woman before Seth could even yell a warning, but to his utter shock, she calmly turned around right before it reached her, raised her hand, and backhanded the beast as if it were no more than an annoying gnat. The beetle’s six legs buckled under the strength of the blow, digging into the dirt, and it collapsed before rolling on to its back, dead.

  Seth stood stunned as the woman wiped her hand on her gown and continued her unhurried walk towards the town. His first thought was that it must be the adventurer Thom had sent him here to meet. Who else would be so strong? Seth increased his pace in hopes of catching the woman, but she made it through the gap in the buildings, and he lost sight of her.

  The guard, Enrique, was still standing at the southern entrance when Seth made it back. Seth made to hand him his fire starter contraption and said, “Did you see that woman take out that beetle? How did she do that?”

  Enrique said, “Keep it, I have more fire starters than I know what to do with. Do you mean Kareen a few minutes ago? The beetles in the field are usually only level three. I think Kareen is just a level ten like most of the people around here. It doesn’t take much to kill one of those pests, anyway.”

  It made sense to Seth then, he’d just entered this world the previous day and was only level two, actually lower than the beetles. People who’d lived here all their lives were much stronger, and probably just saw the monstrosities as common pests. He tried to backpedal so Enrique wouldn't be suspicious, saying, “Oh, I see, I didn’t realize the beetles were so weak!” Seth laughed, but the guard didn’t join in and, instead, just gave him a slightly confused look. Seth said, “Well anyway, thanks for the fire starter, see you around,” as he walked away, excited to complete his quest and get some new clothing.

  Glenda was still sitting behind the table in her tent shop when Seth returned, and a huge smile split her face as he set the empty pot, and the thirty boiled plants down. For as conniving as she’d been earlier, she just seemed happy and relieved now, and Seth wondered if it really was too much effort for her to go all the way out to the pond and dredge up those stinking plants. Seth received the experience for her quest, and leveled up to three, with three hundred thirty-four experience until level four.

  She handed over two bundles of clothes, and Seth was shocked when she even threw in another pair of boots. The clothes were soft, and now that his senses were tuned to it, he could smell the faintest scent of dungweed if he took a huge whiff of the material, but Seth was still thankful.

  Seth left town heading north, and when he got far enough that he couldn’t see anyone else, he changed into one of his new outfits. It was similar in style to the previous outfit he’d been wearing, but instead of being primarily green and brown, both the shirt and the pants were a dark maroon color.

  The cloth felt much more comfortable against his skin. He folded up the old shirt and barely was able to shove it into the small pouch that Thom had given him. He tried to fit the ripped pants, too, but there was no room. He ended up setting them on a stump and hoping that some angry god of littering wouldn’t smite him for it.

  Muttering about how he might as well use it, Seth then activated Quick Change and donned the other clothes and boots, this outfit primarily royal blue, before activating it again and switching back to the first outfit.

  This time Seth noticed that when he switched to his second outfit, his sword completely disappeared. Seth checked his bag, even knowing that it was too small for the sword to be inside, but it was literally nowhere to be found. Seth thought about how useful that could be as a thief, want to steal the crown jewels? Just put on the crown, and then swap outfits and poof, no trace that you stole it.

  He tried swapping outfits with his sword drawn, and was intrigued to find that when he did change outfits with his weapon in hand, the weapon still disappeared. Seth had assumed he would be able to keep his sword, but that didn’t appear to be the case. It looked like he needed two swords if he were to eve
r want to change his outfit mid-fight.

  Next Seth pulled out the second and final health potion Thom had given him that morning and swapped outfits. This time, Seth still held the health potion when his outfit swapped so, apparently, only things that counted as part of his outfit changed, including any weapons or gear he had strapped on, regardless of whether they were still strapped on, or in, his hand.

  His brain felt a bit boggled by the seemingly arbitrary rules of the boon he’d mistakenly selected, so he stopped messing with it for a time and continued north on the path, wondering if he was about to finally connect with another person from Earth.

  Chapter 6

  The adventurer’s house ended up only being about a twenty-minute walk along the path to the north. It was a simple house. From the outside it appeared to only have enough space for one big room, but it was kept surprisingly clean and fixed up. Seth confirmed that he neared the right place by willing his map open and looking to where Thom’s red pushpin was positioned. He smiled when he saw all of the area he’d explored so far had appeared on the map, he could even see the arrangement of the different buildings if he zoomed in on Bosqovar.

  The map brought an unexpected pang of sadness with it. Seth couldn’t help but remember the high-tech GPS system that had been built into his new car, and it was just another reminder that his life had been totally turned on its head. Not three days ago, he’d been driving around in his sports car and working at one of the largest companies in the world, and now he was sleeping in barns and pooping in the woods. How the mighty had fallen.

  Seth heaved a heavy sigh and closed the map as he heard a door open up ahead. He glanced up and saw a woman emerging from the door to the house he was bound for. She wore a bulky set of dull iron colored plate armor that covered her entire torso and all of her extremities.

  The sun struck her face as she turned toward him, and she raised her right arm to block it from her eyes, which squinted behind a pair of goggles fashioned out of glass and leather. A myriad of leather buckles held the plate armor to her arm from underneath.

  She had thick brown locks falling past her shoulders, and a shockingly bright red cape surrounded her entire neck and shoulders, falling almost clear to the ground behind her. Seth tried to place her age, and guessed she was probably in her mid-twenties. She didn’t look childish, but there were certainly no wrinkles on her deeply tanned skin.

  The woman had a sword strapped to her side with wicked spikes sticking out of the guard. Until now, the people Seth had come across had seemed mostly like farmers, with the exception of the guard in Bosqovar, who looked more like a medieval soldier. This woman looked like a totally different breed. She looked like someone from a television show or a movie, the kind of person who sprints into battle with no fear, and slays giant monsters.

  If anyone could tell Seth what was going on in Morgenheim, it would be this woman. Seth was intimidated, yet clung to the hope that this woman could help him get home, or at least help him understand what was happening to him.

  She registered Seth’s approach without much concern, which was appropriate, as he imagined this woman would be a force of nature when compared to his paltry level three. As he neared the bottom of the slim wooden steps to the house, the woman didn’t say a thing, and just looked at Seth expectantly. Her expression was a mixture of attentiveness and subtle annoyance.

  Seth cleared his throat and said, “Um, hello. Are you the local adventurer?” He sounded terrified. Why did he sound so terrified?

  The woman looked confused by the question, and turned her head around and inspected her bright red cape before answering, “Yes, that’s me. Do you require assistance?”

  Seth tried to figure out an elegant way to explain his situation, and how to summarize all of the questions he had for her. He put his thoughts together and began, “Well, adventurer, my name is Seth, and—”

  She cut in, sounding mildly bored, and said, “Call me Aurora.”

  The interruption had really thrown him off, what had he planned to say again? The silence was stretching, so he started over, “Well, adv— I mean, Aurora, my name is Seth, and…are you from Earth?” He felt his face heat at the strange question.

  No recognition appeared in her eyes, and she responded, “No, I’m from Cadence, outside of Agril. Are you looking for someone else?”

  Seth felt a little disappointed, and almost ended the conversation there, but he remembered Thom had said good things about this adventurer. He decided to try being honest, and see if she could do anything to help him. He said, “OK…let me try to explain. Until sometime yesterday morning I was living in a totally different world. Somehow, I was teleported here.”

  Seth noticed whatever magical translator app was running in his brain had struggled with the word teleported and, instead, subbed in two words that meant something like magically relocated.

  “Not here exactly, somewhere down south near where Thom lives. When I arrived, I was told by some goddess woman I was an adventurer because of some ancestors. When I heard about you, I was really hoping you’d be able to shed some light on what in the world that means. I’ve only just reached level three, and things have been a bit terrifying with the giant bugs and all.” Seth cringed at the desperation that entered his voice during the last part.

  Aurora stood still for a moment, staring at his face like she was trying to detect deception in him, before saying, “An adventurer, but not in the guild? Level three?” Seth nodded silently, and she continued, “So, I’m to believe you’re one of the extinct adventurer race?” She looked around, as if expecting someone to pop out with a hidden camera and proclaim she had just been pranked. Seth wondered if anything similar to prank television shows existed in Morgenheim, and then mentally kicked himself for letting the distracting thought in.

  “Yes,” he responded, “that’s what I’ve been told. I’ll be honest, I have no idea what that means. Please don’t throw me in a dungeon or anything.” He cracked a smile, but she didn’t return it. He hoped she wasn’t considering it.

  Aurora pondered for a few more moments, and then responded, “Alright, my first thought is that you’re playing some kind of trick on me. I obviously won’t be killing you to see if you come back to validate your story about being an adventurer, but I can certainly validate the level claim.” As she finished speaking, a window popped up in front of Seth’s eyes

  Aurora of the Adventurers’ Guild has invited you to join her party.

  Accept? Decline?

  Seth mentally selected accept, and the window faded away. Seth squinted his eyes as new foreign information was pumped into his brain. Seth looked at Aurora. He could plainly see she was right in front of him, and looked to be healthy, but he also somehow knew at a deeper sense that she was in that specific direction, and that her health bar was full. It was a strange feeling. He saw her eyes unfocus, as if she were looking at something right in front of her face, and wondered how he could see more information about the party he’d just joined.

  Reading his mind, a window popped up in his vision with two icons. One was a large kite shaped shield with Aurora’s name written below it. The other was a double-sided battle axe with Seth’s name written below. He mentally indicated Aurora’s icon, and more information appeared

  Aurora Main Class: Level 27 Knight Second Class: Level 15 Priest 1,818 / 1,818 Health Points 1,215 / 1,215 Mana Points Factions: Adventurers’ Guild

  Her level boggled Seth’s mind. If the woman who’d annihilated the beetle in one swipe was only near level ten, what was Aurora capable of? What exactly did a second class do? Out of curiosity, Seth glanced at his own stats screen, too, which went into more detail.

  Seth Main Class: Level 3 Warrior (256/590) Second Class: None 182/182 Health Points 0/100 Fury Points Factions: None Stamina: 6

  Dexterity: 6

  Strength: 9

  Intelligence: 3

  Wisdom: 3

  Seth toggled the screens closed and saw Aurora’s eyebrows h
ad risen, and her mouth had formed a silent little O. Her eyes focused on him again and she quickly straightened her face before speaking. “I’ll be honest, I’ve never met an adult with such a low level. Either there really is something extraordinary going on here, or you have some kind of magic I’ve never heard of. I’d like to stay and talk, but I have to go to a kobold cave out in the wilds and retrieve an artifact they’ve stolen. If I don’t leave now, I won’t be able to make it back by dark. We could meet up and talk tomorrow, unless you want to accompany me. It could be a good chance for you to earn some experience, which you desperately need.” A window appeared before Seth.

  Aurora of the Adventurers’ Guild has offered you a quest! Accompany Aurora to the kobold cave to the north of Bosqovar and help her retrieve a stolen artifact to receive the following: - Information on adventurers and the Adventurers’ Guild - 300 experience Accept? Decline?

  Seth looked around in uncertainty before saying, “Yeah, I’ll come as long as you can protect me.”

  Aurora allowed a slight smile to break through her carefully controlled expressions, and flicked her hand in Seth’s direction before saying, “I can manage that…” Golden light shimmered around Seth, and he read the notification as it came in.

  Aurora casts Urgent Heal on you, healing you for 437 points of health.

  Seth’s jaw dropped as she started up the road in the opposite direction.

  Chapter 7

  Seth spent the first thirty minutes of the walk with Aurora detailing the previous day and a half. She only interjected occasionally to ask specific questions like directions and people’s names, as if she were a detective trying to trip him up in his lies. Seth finished detailing his return to Glenda’s stall, and then his walk to Aurora’s house. He skipped over the part where he changed clothes in the middle of the woods and had also not told her about picking his boon. He was just too embarrassed, better to pretend that boons weren’t even on the table.

 

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